Ballot initiative ‘Back the Blue’ would direct $350M to Colorado law enforcement, $1M death benefit

A YES vote on issue 157 would mean that $350 million would be directed to law enforcement agencies for

• Increasing annual pay for police, sheriff, and other law enforcement officials;
• Provide one-time hiring, retention, or merit bonuses to attract, maintain, or reward exceptional law enforcement officials
• Hiring additional police or law enforcement officials to address specific geographic areas or specific types of criminal activity, including gang activity, drug cartels, human trafficking, stolen vehicle units, and drug interdiction at the state’s borders and along the state’s interstate highways 
• For initial and continuing education for law enforcement including use of force training, restraint, and non-lethal force training, physical fitness training or enhancement, post-secondary education advancement in criminal justice or other related areas of study, and other programs and disciplines that contribute to comprehensive training and re-training of law enforcement officials in the state of Colorado
• Money from the general fund may be needed to pay $1 million to the surviving spouse or children or the estate of police, fire, or other first responders killed in the line of duty. 

A NO vote on issue 157 would mean that the $350 million would not be directed to law enforcement agencies

COLORADO (KRDO) - A recently added ballot initiative gives Colorado voters the option to see $350 million go to local law enforcement agencies, as well as a $1 million death benefit for survivors of officers killed in the line of duty.

Initiative 157, also known as 'Back the Blue', directs funding toward activities related to law enforcement such as increased pay for officers and providing one-time hiring, recruitment, and retention bonuses.

Common Sense Institute, the authors behind the initiative say the initiative was created in attempts to, "respond to Colorado’s crime by sweetening police recruitment incentives."

The Colorado Springs Police Department says they are still looking over the measure, but Pueblo's Police Chief, Chris Noeller, says, "I'm not here to sway voters, but what I would say is that support of law enforcement is something that needs to be front and center."

Under 'Back the Blue' additional officers would be hired for specific locations or types of crimes. Ongoing training would also be applied for new and veteran officers in the use of force, restraints, and physical fitness.

"Back the Blue Initiative is to enable them to recruit and keep more law enforcement officers that then keep our communities and families safe," Kristi Burton Brown with Advance Colorado said.

If passed, $350 million in state funding would go to law enforcement agencies and it would be up to lawmakers to decide how to divvy up those funds.

"There's a lot of departments of our size or smaller that probably need the money pretty bad. This is a good way to show that to the people that are looking at this as a career and the people that are serving," Chief Noeller said.

Initiative 157 would also provide a $1 million dollar death benefit to the families of officers killed in the line of duty. That's in addition to the officer's pension.

"This million-dollar death benefit would never make up for what happened to the first responder who died protecting the rest of us, but it does do a better job taking care of their family. And that's the goal here," Brown said.

The death benefit would go to surviving spouses, children, or the estate.

Colorado voters will decided on the fate of Initiative 157 come November in the general election.